It is Marian’s and my pleasure to present the 2013 Masters Rankings. We do these rankings as volunteers for your reading pleasure. We review many thousands of races annually, with results being produced in varying formats and frequently, incomplete data. We generally only select those performances that exceed 85% age grade. Periodically, during the year we consolidate all results, producing a year to date status for each runner. At this point we compare runners’ performances and do the rankings. These rankings are the product of the final consolidation of all our 2013 results.

We have ranked the top 3 in each age group and have listed a number of Honorable Mentions in alphabetical order. The number of Honorable Mentions continues to be strong, indicating a large quantity of quality performances.

We continue to use criteria similar to that which we have historically used. Primary, of course, is Age Grading, which is the basis for most Masters awards and prize money, because it allows a level playing field between members of our constituency, whether 40 or 60 or 80. The ideal circumstance would be for each competitor to compete on a head-to-head basis with their rivals. Since that is quite rare, we use other criteria, such as, willingness to seek out better competitions to be found at National Championships and prestigious national and regional events. We also consider number of races, as well as the diversity of distances.

Although we have been doing this for a number of years and continue to try to improve, the system is far from perfect, so we welcome feedback. To ensure your performances are considered please send them or have them sent to either/both dmlein@earthlink.net, or results@usatf.org .